1972 Constitution of Bangladesh

The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was drafted by a 34-member Constitution Drafting Committee chaired by Dr. Kamal Hossain, debated in the Constituent Assembly formed from the elected members of the 1970 Pakistani general election, adopted on 4 November 1972, and brought into force on 16 December 1972 — the first anniversary of Victory Day. It replaced the Provisional Constitution Order of 1972 and gave permanent legal form to the state born of the Liberation War. The original instrument comprised a Preamble, 153 articles, and 4 schedules, and it remains, in its 2026 form, the apex of the legal order: Article 7 declares that all powers of the Republic belong to the people and that the Constitution is the "solemn expression of the will of the people" and the supreme law, any law inconsistent with which is void.

The original document rested on four fundamental principles of state policy (mūlnīti) enumerated in Article 8: nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism (dharmanirapekṣatā). It established a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy with a unicameral legislature, the Jatiya Sangsad; a largely ceremonial President; a Prime Minister and Cabinet collectively responsible to Parliament under Article 55; and an independent judiciary headed by the Supreme Court (Appellate and High Court Divisions) under Articles 94–116. Part III guarantees justiciable fundamental rights (Articles 26–47A), enforceable through the High Court Division's writ jurisdiction under Article 102, while Part II sets out non-justiciable Fundamental Principles of State Policy. Article 70 binds members to their party on pain of losing their seat, and amendment requires a two-thirds majority under Article 142.

The Constitution has been amended numerous times, altering its original character. The Fourth Amendment (1975) introduced the one-party BAKSAL presidential system; the Fifth Amendment legitimised Ziaur Rahman's martial-law actions, inserted "Bismillah-ar-Rahman-ar-Rahim" and replaced secularism with "absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah"; the Eighth Amendment (1988) made Islam the state religion (Article 2A). The Supreme Court struck down the Fifth and Seventh Amendments in landmark judgments (Bangladesh Italian Marble Works, 2005; later upheld), and the Fifteenth Amendment (2011) restored secularism and the four principles while retaining the state religion, abolished the caretaker-government system, and entrenched certain provisions as unamendable. Following the political upheaval of 2024, the constitutional framework and the caretaker question returned to active national debate, and an interim arrangement governed the transition; candidates should track the post-2024 reform commissions and any constitutional revision under way in 2026.

For BCS Bangladesh Affairs, this is foundational and frequently tested. Expect direct questions on the adoption date (4 November 1972), enforcement date (16 December 1972), the chair of the drafting committee (Dr. Kamal Hossain), the four state principles, the original number of articles (153), and the substance of major amendments — especially the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Thirteenth (caretaker) and Fifteenth. Comparative and current-affairs questions link the basic-structure doctrine and post-2024 reform proposals, so map each amendment to its year and political author.